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Dinesh,
Nalin keep racing fans on their toes at Talduwa Rally
The rally got off to a slow start which was later hampered by a heavy shower. With the motor cycle riders being badly affected the first five events went off smoothly. Though it started to drizzle, when the sixth event was scheduled to start a heavy downpour put the participants in a tricky situation. The track which is unique demanded the riders and drivers skill and determination. First it was the grass track then came the uncertain gravel and lastly the tarmac. The rally was not short of disputes. Participants were disqualified for some reason or the other. In one instance a participant had overtaken a vehicle when the yellow flag was shown. This is strictly prohibited in motor racing. The heavy downpour made things difficult for the participants with the track being very slippery. In the event for motor cycles upto 125cc the riders taking the treacherous gravel bend were thrown off their bikes and were dragged a good couple of yards. Their racing kits mercifully saved them from disaster. Another hindrance to the races were the stoppage of racing every half hour to make way for the public and oncoming vehicles to cross over to the other side of the road. The events in general cannot be categorized as a major race as most of the big names were missing, maybe due to the condition of the track. The winner of the open car event Dinesh Deheragoda, who had to put in all his resources to win his event speaking to The Sunday Times said that the track was not suitable but he drove his vehicle in order not to disappoint many fans who had come to witness a good days of racing. The early races did not give the spectators any thrills and spills until the last event of the day which was for cars over 1665cc but sadly there was only five competitors. Many fans anticipated a tough battle between the drivers. But once they got going it was a worthy race to be seen. Due to the muddy track at the start Dinesh Deheragoda took some time to get his UML Mitshubishi Evolution 7 RS going, which gave Nalin D. Perera in his Caltex Havoline Special a clear lead of over half a lap which was later increased. The other three drivers too led Dinesh. With half of the ten laps completed all were cheering the leader Nalin but Dinesh, a tough and experienced driver closed in which made the race more interesting. Until the ninth lap it was Nalin all the way but a never-say-die effort from Dinesh got him the race by a short head. In the motor cycle category Indika Gurusinghe and Kamal Prasanna bagged two titles. Another driver to impress at Talduwa was Dinesh Senanayake in his Toyota Rav 4. Senanayake will certainly be a driver who should go a long way in time to come. The Talduwa Rally Cross was organised by the Sri Lanka Army Logistics Command and the Sri Lanka Army Motor Sports in collaboration with the Motor Racing Association and Kelani Valley Club. The value of experience By Ranil Abeynaike West Indian captain Carl Hooper is enjoying a purple patch with the bat, having recently completed a third test century in four games. Now in this mid thirties, Hooper has never fulfilled his early potential as a batsman. Now in the twilight of his career, the elegant right hander is making the most of those years of experience. Even a break of a couple of years due to a personal trauma has not dented the ability or the hunger for runs. Although not the flamboyant and explosive type, the Caribbean often produces, Hooper scores his runs quickly and is equally valuable in the long and short game. As a career progress fitness is what plays the role in the final distance a player can travel. Some players are more fortunate than others in being able to stay clear of injuries. Injury is the most heart-breaking experience for any sports person. Ask Muttiah Muralitharan and he will tell you of the mental agony of watching from the sidelines. Being physically fit to go through the grind of Intenational cricket is the next obstacle. This calls for continuous work on the field and in the gymnasium and then maintaining a healthy diet. As cricket is considered not all too physical, individuals can consume too much of fats and carbohydrates. Should these not be burnt out then fitness levels begin to drop. Eye sight, reflexes also pay a major role. When the West Indies were in Sri Lanka some months ago, Carl Hooper was seen regularly arriving early at the grounds, much before the rest of the team and running many laps around the grounds. On certain days he even turned up in the early hours of the morning, ran, and then went back to the hotel. This was when a test match was in progress. That shows the commitment required to stay fit, to compete at the highest level. Sri Lanka's Hashan Tillekaratne and Aravinda de Silva have also stood the test of time. De Silva who is the older of the two had a period of inactivity from the game and looked very rusty when playing domestic cricket. Then the carrot was hung in front of him. Another tour of England should he get fit and get amongst the runs. A strict diet, training and plenty of cricket practice got the brilliant batsman back in the saddle. On the first day at Lord's, de Silva had to work very hard to occupy the crease. His concentration and temperament was very much intact, the feet moved slowly and the body was somewhat sluggish. His strong point - the hands - were still very much in control and the deft touches saw the scoreboard tick steadily. The mast was making use of every bit of experience. Bowlers have to hang up their boots earlier than batsmen. The physical demands on them are greater, more so for fast bowlers. Until recently the West Indian pair of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose defied pain barriers and extended their playing days to a maximum. Now the Pakistani pair of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram follow those footsteps. They are still pretty lethal as they keep coming back at the batsman all the time. You can put them away in one over it means nothing. An absolutely unplayable delivery can greet you in the next over. There is no relaxing against either of them. Wasim Akram has indicated that he will call it quits after the World Cup in March next year. Eleven years prior to that he was a vital cog in Imran Khan's winning outfit. He will be dreaming of a fairy tale exit from the game with another Pakistani triumph. This time it will be the wealth of experience with which he could contribute. Golf
at the Ridgeway's Jayasuriya led his team to a smashing victory and announced the result with absolute glee to receive a riotous and incessant round of applause laced with different rounds of high spirits. There were several prizes given away at the award ceremony and the results in some of these encounters have been reported earlier. Those that need to be recorded are as follows: Maclachlan
Cup Macbrides Navin and Primal then played two decisive strokes to pick an excellent par and a terrific victory. Primal was quite confident and Navin was extra confident successfully. They paired off superbly in a special bout of fun-filled celebrating with a crop of well-wishers. Life Members Both showed skill and both had massive measures of good fortune. Ratnayake had good reasons to be a trifle unhappy due to recklessness. Hirdaramani played cool wisely and after thriving on a few of Ratnayake's lapses he went smiling all the way home with the handsome Life Member's Cup. Mathieson
Salver The Prize giving was expertly handled by Lionel Almeida and it was a joyful scene to witness Michael Fonseka being called to give away some awards. Identified as a strict disciplinarian and an extremely successful Captain and President, Fonseka absorbed the applause, responded with salutations and completed an elegant session of elbow bending with the Seniors. A high quality well spread oriental buffet followed and one wag was heard to say that he could not hear what he was eating because of the excessive loud music. Musicians should remember that on occasions such as this you need music you can hear but do not listen to. They must not cripple dialog particularly among golfers who take great pleasure relating ball-by- ball commentaries of only their successful holes and suppressing the embarrassing disasters. Grand Prix |
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